Wedge type golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf club head of the sand wedge type provided with a sole underlying the club head and connected therewith only at the ends of the sole to define a slot-like open area between the sole and the undersurface of the club head that will effectively cause a golf ball to be lofted out of sand and will also effectively loft the golf ball from the fairway to the green thereby enabling the golfer to more accurately control the trajectory of the golf ball as it is lofted onto or pitched onto the putting green from a sand trap or fairway.

Evans et a1.

[ 1 WEDGE TYPE GOLF CLUB [76] Inventors: Frank E. Evans; Dorothy D. Evans,

645 Cheowa Circle. both of Knoxville, Tenn. 37919 [22] Filed: July 12, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 378,387

[52] US. Cl 273/167 A [51] Int. Cl A63b 53/04 [58] Field of Search 273/77 R, 78, l67-l75 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,975,822 10/1934 Young 273/174 3,064,975 11/1962 Smith 273/167 A X 3,079,157 2/1963 Turner 273/167 A 3,138,386 6/1964 Onions 273/174 X D212,890 12/1968 Rose 273/167 D UX FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 10,736 5/1904 Great Britain 273/167 Jan. 28, 1975 11/1903 Great Britain 273/167 A 6/1936 Great Britain 273/167 A [57] ABSTRACT A golf club head of the sand wedge type provided with a sole underlying the club head and connected therewith only at the ends of the sole to define a slot-like open area between the sole and the undersurface of the club head that will effectively cause a golf ball to be lofted out of sand and will also effectively loft the golf ball from the fairway to the green thereby enabling the golfer to more accurately control the trajectory of the golf ball as it is lofted onto or pitched onto the putting green from a sand trap or fairway.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN28|975 3.862.759

SHEET 2 OF 2 WEDGE TYPE GOLF CLUB BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a wedgetype golf club and more particularly a sole incorporated into the undersurface of a golf club head to facilitate Iofting of the golf ball with the sole including a slotlike opening extending from the leading edge of the club head to provide for passage of sand thereby effectively reducing the quantity of sand that engages the club face to enable direct contact of the golf ball with the club face for more accurate control of the golf ball when it is pitched" onto the green from a sand trap. The sole also provides for more effective lofting of the golf ball from the fairway to the green since the sole comes into contact with the turf of the fairway and will reduce the quantity of turn engaging the face of the club.

2. Description of the Prior Art Most golfers employ a wedge-type club for use in driving a golf ball out of a sand trap or from the fairway onto the green. The angle of inclination of the club face is such that the ball will be lofted in a relatively high trajectory with sufficient accuracy and spin to position the ball as close as possible to the hole. In using conventional wedge-type clubs, considerable grass, turf and the like will be engaged with the face of the club and between the face of the club and the golf ball which reduces control of the golf ball when the golf ball is on the fairway adjacent to the putting green. When in a sand trap, a substantial quantity of sand engages the club face and is disposed between the golf ball and club face so that substantial accuracy is lost when the ball is blasted out" of the sand trap. Thus, while conventional wedge type clubs perform satisfactorily under some conditions and when used by skilled golfers, there is a substantial need for improvement in wedge-type golf clubs to enable more consistent accuracy and control of the golf ball when it is pitched onto the putting green from either a sand trap or adjacent area of the fairway.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a wedge-type golf club having a conventional angle of inclination on the club face and also a conventional club face to enable the club to meet regulations of the various golf regulating agencies which have set up requirements for the various types of clubs permitted in sanctioned golf matches or tournaments together with an added sole underlying the undersurface of the golf club head to provide a supporting surface for the golf club head when it engages a sand or fairway surface. The sole is spaced from the undersurface of the golf club head and attached thereto only at the ends thereby providing a slot-like opening to enable sand or other supporting material for the golf ball to pass through the slot-like opening as the golf club head approaches and engages the golf ball thereby reducing the quantity of sand or other supporting material for the golf ball which comes into engagement with the face of the golf club head thereby increasing the control and accuracy of the flight path of the golf ball thus enabling the golf ball to be more accurately driven to a desired area of the putting green adjacent the hole.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wedge-type golf club head of unitary construction in which a curved and relatively wide sole is mounted below the undersurface of the golf club head at the heel and toe portion thereof and in spaced relation to the undersurface with the spaced relationship providing a slot-like passage beginning immediately rearwardly of the leading edge of the club head and extending towards the trailing edge thereof with the leading edges of the sole and the mounting structures therefor being rounded and tapered in a manner to reduce obstruction to passage of sand and the like through the slot-like passage.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wedge-type golf club head having a slot-like passage incorporated into a sole thereon which is effective in controlling the flight of a golf ball when driven from a sand trap or fairway area adjacent the putting green with the club head being relatively simple in construction and effective in use by golfers having different degrees of skill.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the golf club head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the golf club head as taken along section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the golf club head.

FIG. 4 is an end view of the golf club head.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the golf club head.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the golf club head.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the club head moving through sand.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now specifically to the drawings, the golf club head of the present invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 and includes the usual upwardly extending shank 12 in a well known angular position to which is attached the elongated golf club shaft 14 having the usual handgrip at the upper end thereof. The golfclub 10 is of the wedge-type and includes a relatively thin body 16 extending from a lower leading edge 18 to an upper trailing edge 20. The upper face or club face 22 is substantially flat and provided with longitudinal grooves 24 thereon for effective contact with a golf ball 25 in a well known manner. The angle of inclination of the face 22 is conventional for a sand wedge or pitching wedge with the shank 12 being connected integrally at one end thereof by a connecting area 26 with the leading edge 18 being substantially straight but slightly rounded and the trailing edge 20 being curved in a more exaggerated manner with the outer end portion of the club head being wider than the inner end portion and the outer end edge of the club head being rounded as at 28. As stated previously, the shape and configuration of the club head face 22 is conventional as is the angle of inclination thereof and positioning and angulation of the shank 12 so that the club head will meet all requirements of the regulatory agencies regarding golf.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the undersurface of the golf club head body 16 generally parallels the face 22 thereof with the area adjacent to but spaced rearwardly from the leading edge being slightly thickened as at 30. Positioned in underlying spaced relation to the undersurface of the club head body 16 is a sole 32 which, as illustrated in FIG. 5, generally underlies the central portion of the club head and has a plan shape somewhat similar to the plan shape of the club head although it is shorter than and narrower than the club head. The sole 32 includes a leading edge 34 generally parallel to, spaced rearwardly from and spaced downwardly from the leading edge 18 although when the club head is swung, the leading edge 34 of the sole 32 is generally in horizontal alignment with the leading edge 18 at the position of the club head when it strikes the ball. The sole 32 also includes a trailing edge 36 which is spaced forwardly from and spaced further below the trailing edge 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The trailing edge 36 is rounded or curved generally in the same curvature as the trailing edge 20 and the two end edges of the sole 32 are rounded and are supported in depending relation to the undersurface of the club head body 16 by supporting webs 38 and 40 which are disposed adjacent to the end edges of the sole but spaced slightly inwardly from the end edges thereof. The upper and lower surfaces of the sole 32 are generally parallel with the upper surface being substantially flat and the lower surface being curved with the leading edge 34 being thinner than the trailing edge 36 so that the lower surface of the sole will engage the sand surface or turf surface for supporting the golf club head from such surface.

The webs 38 and 40 combined with the upper surface of the sole 32 and the undersurface of the club head body define a slot-like opening or passageway 42 which commences just rearwardly of the leading edge 18 and extends to the trailing edge 36 of the sole 32 which provides for unrestricted passage of sand, turf or the like which supports the golf ball so that a lesser amount of such material will engage the club face (seeFlG. 7). Thus, the golf club head will loft a ball out of the sand with the sole serving to support the golf club head and to reduce the sand engaging the face of the club which would normally prevent proper contact of the ball to the face of the club. Therefore, with this club, the average sand shot will become a relatively easy pitch shot rather than a sand blast which frequently is inaccurate and results in an undesirable positioning of the golf ball after the shot. The slot-like opening or passageway allows the sand to pass through the sole and under the face of the club with a minimum of sand on the club face. Also, when the club is used on the fairway, the sole contacts the turf and provides a support for the club head rather than permitting the club head to cut into the turf which materially interferes with the accuracy of the shot. Thus, a golfer even of average skill will be able to more accurately drive the golf ball from a sand trap or the fairway onto the putting green thereby enabling him to reduce the shots necessary to complete a round of golf so that he will receive more benefit and enjoyment therefrom.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A golf club head comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ball engaging face and an undersurface which generally parallels the ball engaging face, a shank at one end of said body for connection with a golf club handle shaft, said body including a lower leading edge and a trailing edge disposed above the horizontal plane of the leading edge, and a sole attached to the undersurface of the body in downwardly spaced relation thereto providing a support for engaging a surface on which a golf ball lies to control the positioning of the golf ball engaging face in relation to the golf ball to enable the golf ball to be lofted onto a putting green from a sand trap, fairway or the like, said sole being spaced from the undersurface of the body substantially throughout its length to provide passage for sand or other supporting material for the golf ball to reduce the engagement of such material with the ball engaging face of the club head, said sole being connected to the underface of the club head body at each end thereof by vertically disposed webs having tapering and rounded end edges, said sole being spaced completely rearwardly of the leading edge and completely forwardly of the trailing edge of the club head body and having a relatively thin vertical dimension at its leading edge and a thicker vertical dimension at its trailing edge.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole and club head body are of unitary construction with the sole being similar in plan configuration to the club head body and having smaller dimensions.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole is convexly curved from a leading to a trailing edge and from the heel to the toe with the curvature being shallow to provide a relatively large surface area for contact with the golf ball supporting material so that the material will support the golf club head as it approaches and strikes the ball and during initial follow through movement.

4. A golf club comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ball engaging face for lofting a golf ball onto a putting green from a sand trap or the like and including a shank for connection with a golf club shaft, said body having a leading edge curving from heel to toe and a trailing edge curving from heel to toe with the body also including an undersurface generally paralleling the ball engaging face, a sole underlying the undersurface of the body and being similar in plan configuration to the body with smaller dimensions, said sole including a curved, thin leading edge and a curved trailing edge thicker than its leading edge with the leading edge of the sole being spaced rearwardly from and generally in alignment with the leading edge of the ball engaging face and the trailing edge of the sole being spaced forwardly from and substantially below the trailing edge of the club engaging face whereby the sole is spaced completely rearwardly of the leading edge of the body and completely forwardly of the trailing edge of the body, said sole including an upper face spaced downwardly from the undersurface of the body and a pair of substantially vertically disposed webs rigidly interconnecting the ends of the sole with the undersurface of the body to define a pasto toe to provide a relatively large and smoothly curved sageway which commences just rearwardly of the leading edge of the body and extends to the trailing edge of the sole, said sole having a convexly curved undersurface from leading edge to trailing edge and from heel 5 surface area for engagement with material supporting a golf ball. 

1. A golf club head comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ball engaging face and an undersurface which generally parallels the ball engaging face, a shank at one end of said body for connection with a golf club handle shaft, said body including a lower leading edge and a trailing edge disposed above the horizontal plane of the leading edge, and a sole attached to the undersurface of the body in downwardly spaced Relation thereto providing a support for engaging a surface on which a golf ball lies to control the positioning of the golf ball engaging face in relation to the golf ball to enable the golf ball to be lofted onto a putting green from a sand trap, fairway or the like, said sole being spaced from the undersurface of the body substantially throughout its length to provide passage for sand or other supporting material for the golf ball to reduce the engagement of such material with the ball engaging face of the club head, said sole being connected to the underface of the club head body at each end thereof by vertically disposed webs having tapering and rounded end edges, said sole being spaced completely rearwardly of the leading edge and completely forwardly of the trailing edge of the club head body and having a relatively thin vertical dimension at its leading edge and a thicker vertical dimension at its trailing edge.
 2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole and club head body are of unitary construction with the sole being similar in plan configuration to the club head body and having smaller dimensions.
 3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said sole is convexly curved from a leading to a trailing edge and from the heel to the toe with the curvature being shallow to provide a relatively large surface area for contact with the golf ball supporting material so that the material will support the golf club head as it approaches and strikes the ball and during initial follow through movement.
 4. A golf club comprising a wedge-type body having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ball engaging face for lofting a golf ball onto a putting green from a sand trap or the like and including a shank for connection with a golf club shaft, said body having a leading edge curving from heel to toe and a trailing edge curving from heel to toe with the body also including an undersurface generally paralleling the ball engaging face, a sole underlying the undersurface of the body and being similar in plan configuration to the body with smaller dimensions, said sole including a curved, thin leading edge and a curved trailing edge thicker than its leading edge with the leading edge of the sole being spaced rearwardly from and generally in alignment with the leading edge of the ball engaging face and the trailing edge of the sole being spaced forwardly from and substantially below the trailing edge of the club engaging face whereby the sole is spaced completely rearwardly of the leading edge of the body and completely forwardly of the trailing edge of the body, said sole including an upper face spaced downwardly from the undersurface of the body and a pair of substantially vertically disposed webs rigidly interconnecting the ends of the sole with the undersurface of the body to define a passageway which commences just rearwardly of the leading edge of the body and extends to the trailing edge of the sole, said sole having a convexly curved undersurface from leading edge to trailing edge and from heel to toe to provide a relatively large and smoothly curved surface area for engagement with material supporting a golf ball. 